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Published: Jan 5, 2010

Considering the sad state of contemporary young adult fiction — I'm looking at you, sexually repressed sparkle-vampires — it's a wonder C.D. Payne's Youth in Revolt isn't more popular. Told via the journals of 14-year-old Nick Twisp, YiR is dirty, warm and funny. Payne doesn't talk down to his audience, instead asking us to rise to Twisp's considerable intelligence. The film version, starring Michael Cera (see Cindy Fuchs' review in Movie Shorts on p. 31), should garner the book some much-deserved attention. But there's nothing like picking it up for the first time and seeing your teenage self on the page.

—Molly Eichel

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And you thought it couldn't be done: NoLibs gallery/boutique Art Star is actually getting cuter. Their new Sea Party!  exhibit/sale — opening reception Jan. 9 — features plush nautical weirdness by Heidi Kenney, Jenny Harada and Spooky Daddy. Expect adorable octopi and fuzzy leviathans. Expect to pay for whatever you fall asleep on.

—Patrick Rapa

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Bob Fosse's tour de force All That Jazz is 8 for the song-and-dance set. His thinly veiled autobiographical movie focuses on director/choreographer Joe Gideon (an electric Roy Scheider), who must simultaneously edit his severely over-budget movie, stage a massive Broadway musical and deal with his hyperactive libido/ego. Few could frame dance for film like Fosse, relieving musicals of their inherent staginess and imbuing numbers with dimension and depth often not seen on screen. Don't miss it at International House on Wednesday. It's show time, folks.

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Maybe your drunk uncle grabbed your knee under the Christmas dinner table. Maybe your niece got so excited she puked on her new Dora doll. Maybe you took the mistletoe rule just a little too far. Whatever your yuletide tale, get ready to tell it: First Person Arts' StorySlams, held monthly at L'Etage, are doubling up in 2010, offering all-ages shows every second Monday at World Café Live (more info on Jan. 11's "Home for the Holidays" Slam at firstpersonarts.org). And remember, there's no such thing as an overshare — as long as your TMI is true.

—Carolyn Huckabay

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